Weekly Wrap-Up: Powerful Storms Blast the Southeast, Ohio Valley

Severe storms pushed across the southern U.S. Tuesday evening, spawning tornadoes that touched down in Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia.

Three people died in mobile homes in Marion and Jones counties in Mississippi. Another woman died at a local business south of Columbia, Mississippi. As many as 50 people were injured, according to the Associated Press.

Due to the severity of the storms, which flipped vehicles and shredded several structures, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant declared a State of Emergency for the two Mississippi counties Tuesday evening.

In addition, downpours sparked flooding from Florida to Georgia. Tallahassee received more than 7 inches of rain on Tuesday, nearly doubling their average rainfall for the month of December.

According to NWS, several water rescues occurred in Tallahassee as a result of flash flooding Tuesday night.

The fierce winds downed trees and power lines, cutting power to thousands in the region Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, more than 3,500 customers remained without power in the Columbia, Mississippi, area.

A small, powerful tornado also damaged a store shed and a home, which resulted in one injury due to flying glass in the Wilmington, North Carolina, area Wednesday evening.

On Wednesday, a separate round of severe weather swept through the Ohio Valley, impacting areas from Cincinnati to Columbus with fierce winds and heavy downpours.

While many areas across the country felt a milder Christmas morning, residents across parts of the Rockies and Plains woke to snow-covered ground in time for holiday celebrations.

In Missoula, Montana, they recorded 2.8 inches of snow since midnight on Dec. 25, marking the second most snow to fall on Christmas Day according to the National Weather Service.

The Montana Department of Transportation warned of snow-covered, slick roadways early Thursday morning and cautioned motorists to take extra precautions when making their holiday travel.

In India, unseasonable cold combined with air stagnation across northern India and Pakistan led to extremely poor air quality during the past week.

The deadly cold wave caused at least 31 deaths while additional deaths have been reported in road accidents due to the low visibility due to fog, according to Hindustan Times.

Without a significant change in the overall weather pattern, chilly air, poor air quality and low visibility could continue into next week.

Several AccuWeather.com meteorologists and staff writers contributed content to this article.